Fandom
by Oxymoronic Alliteration
Summary: McGee's favorite webcomic has a surprise artist: Kate! Could the budding artist find a collaborative spirit in the formally distant agent? Very slight McKate. White Elephant Exchange fic for Mister Nowhere!
1. Chapter 1

"_Give it up, Firefly! You belong to me now!"_

"_Not a chance, Praying Mantis!"_

"_You will either bow down to me or suffer the consequences!"_

"_Do you really think you've got me beat? I knew your own ego would be your downfall!"_

"Whatcha reading there, McGeek?"

Startled by Tony's voice, Tim rushed to close the internet window. It pained him to do so as he was on the edge of his seat to see how Firefly was going to escape the clutches of Praying Mantis, but he wasn't in the mood to be teased by the older agent, especially not about one of his favorite webcomics.

His actions weren't quick enough. "Reading comic books on the job, Probie?" Tony asked, not even trying to hide the amusement in his voice. "Better not let Gibbs catch you."

"Like you're one to talk, Tony," Kate called out from her desk. "I think you goof off more in one day than McGee and I do in an entire week!"

"I don't remember talking to you, Kate! I was simply offering my young protégé sage advice," he retorted, giving Tim a much-too-friendly pat on his back.

Tim rolled his eyes at Tony's disingenuous actions. "I was just trying to catch up on some reading. I missed the last two installments of _Firefly_ and I figured I could get caught up a bit."

Tim and Tony were so deeply focused on their own conversation—Tony mocking Tim's hobby and Tim slowly stewing as he defended himself—that neither man noticed Kate look up at the name of the comic. The woman looked pointedly surprised.

Tony snatched Tim's mouse and clicked back to the last page. The computer screen lit up with panels of vibrant colors. The protagonist—a very disproportionate women clad in a black leather mid-riff top with FF emblazoning the bust, a gold skirt that was so short it made Abby's look almost matronly, and knee-high black boots which probably weren't so sensible for crime fighting—seemed to be trapped inside some form of an electric force field while a bulgy-eyed maniacal man dressed in green looked on in glee. A quick read through the panels showed that the woman, Firefly, had been captured by the evil Praying Mantis and was now at his mercy—or so _he_ thought.

"Well, this was definitely drawn by a man," Tony said as he drooled over the fictional female superhero. "Look at those…er…at that body!"

As was the norm with comic book women, Firefly had breasts the size of basketballs and a slim, trim waist which could never feasibly remain erect beneath the weight of aforementioned breasts. Her legs and arms were also slender, especially in comparison to her abundant bosom.

"In fact," the older agent said, giving their female teammate a lascivious grin, "I think she kind of looks like Kate."

"Oh, please, Tony! If I had her proportions I wouldn't even be able to walk. Besides, I'm not a redhead."

As Tony digested her comment, his grin grew wider. "And just how do you know she's a redhead, Kate?"

The woman silently cursed herself as she simultaneously tried to think of an excuse. "You mentioned it already," she stammered, knowing how lame it sounded even as she said it.

"No, no, I only referenced her lovely figure," Tony said in a teasing tone. He was sauntering towards Kate's desk and he leaned over it with a smirk. "Is our little Katie Todd a fan of comic books? Do you go to those conventions, dressed in a home sewn costume, and ask stupid questions about fictional characters as though they were real?"

"Tony, I have work to do."

"You're avoiding the question."

"Kate?" Tim called out questioningly. Kate and Tony looked over to the young agent, but he was looking at his computer screen with a mixture of surprise and confusion. "Is this you?"

Tim, seeing that Tony was currently preoccupied with tormenting Kate, had taken the moment to pick up where he'd left off and attempt to finish the installment before Gibbs got in. It was no surprise to him that the installment ended on a cliffhanger—the final panel showed Praying Mantis with his eyes widened in surprise as something, unseen by readers, happened. What did come as a surprise were the two names which appeared in tiny print below the last panel. He had never paid attention to the creators of these webcomics, but Tony's insistence that only a man could be responsible for creating the overly-endowed femme fatale had pushed Tim to see just how accurate Tony's prediction had been.

"It says 'Created by Peaches Montgomery and Caitlin Todd,'" he read aloud. "I know Caitlin is a pretty common first name and Todd is a common last name, but…"

The look on Kate's face was a mixture of embarrassment and annoyance while the look on Tony's face was one of absolute glee as this new information surfaced. "So our little Katie doesn't just _read_ comics; she _writes_ them too!"

"I don't read them and I don't write them," she corrected, "I illustrate them."

"Po-tay-toe, po-tah-toe, Kate. You're still just as bad as those fat, hairy guys who live in their parents' basement and make superheroes based on themselves because it's the only way they can feel cool."

Kate's eyes were ablaze as she stood and confronted Tony's comments. "Firefly isn't based on me, Tony! I didn't even create her! I simply brought her to visual life as a favor for a friend! And I don't see what's so wrong with comic books! It's better than spending all of your free time hitting on women who are younger than your college degree, and it involves much more of skill and creativity!"

"Whoa!" he exclaimed. He held his hands up in defense as he stepped back from her desk. "No need to fly off the handlebars! I was just joking."

"No, you were being insulting, and there is a difference," Kate said.

Tim felt his mouth twitch upward at Kate's comment. While she didn't haze him nearly as much as Tony did, she also had a tendency to stand to the side while the older agent picked on him. To see her so adamantly defend something he enjoyed—even if it wasn't something _she_ particularly enjoyed—gave him a sense of satisfaction, as though she were specifically defending him.

"There's nothing wrong with enjoying comics," she said huffily as she plopped back down into her seat. "Now can we just drop the whole thing?"

"I second that," Gibbs said as he strode in, morning coffee in hand.

"Hey, boss!" Tony greeted. "We were just talking about—"

"Don't care," the man said, cutting him off mid-sentence. "We've got a dead Petty Officer. Grab your gear!"

The three of them did as they were told with no mention of the conversation that had just ended. Tim shot Kate a grin as he passed by, though it was a grin that wasn't returned.

* * *

It wasn't until much later in the day that Tim found himself alone with Kate. The day had been filled with investigating a murder, only to have the culprit confess—claiming self-defense, of course—leaving them little choice but to announce the case closed. Tony and Gibbs had stuck around for quite a bit after that, each immersed in work, but they had left almost simultaneously soon after. Tim and Kate stayed behind to finish paperwork, and neither had spoken since the departure of their teammates. He had spent the better part of the day sneaking glances at her, still shocked to find out that she was the illustrator of his favorite webcomic. Who knew they had something in common? Though he couldn't help but feel slightly responsible for her getting upset that morning.

"I'm sorry," Tim said eventually. He was nearly done and he didn't want to leave before making sure everything was okay with Kate.

She looked up, not a clue as to why Tim was apologizing. "Sorry for what?"

"Earlier this morning," he explained. "I'm sorry for spilling your secret about the webcomic."

She took in his apology, a slight smile playing on her lips. "It's okay, McGee," she assured him. "I'm not ashamed of it."

"So you are a comic book fan, then?"

Kate shrugged. "Not really. I mean, when I was a kid I liked to imagine I was Wonder Woman." Tim smiled, not only as he imagined Kate dressed in the Wonder Woman garb, but because he too had often imagined himself as a comic book superhero. "But I outgrew that years ago," she added. "The webcomic is my cousin's. I was just helping her out."

"Peaches Montgomery?" he asked, recalling the other name which appeared at the end of the comic.

Kate nodded. "She's a big comic book fan and she needed someone to draw them. So I volunteered."

"Well that was nice of you."

"Julie—that's her real name—she was there for me a lot when we were growing up. I figured it was the least I could do in return."

"It's a really good comic," he complimented. "I've got it saved on my favorites and I read it every week. Well, when I'm not swamped with work," he corrected. "I think Firefly is one of the strongest and best developed female superheroes around these days."

Kate smiled. It wasn't often that her smile was directed to Tim. "Thank you, McGee. I'll be sure to tell Julie that the next time we talk."

She returned to her desk and Tim struggled with a question which had been on his mind since that morning. "Kate? Can I ask you something?"

"Sure."

"Well…I mean Tony had a point about Firefly being so…um…well-endowed. I mean, I don't have a problem with it," he said, red-faced, "but I figured you'd be against an inaccurate depiction of the female form."

She sighed uncomfortably, obviously well aware of Firefly's anatomical problems. "Do you know who runs those sites, McGee?"

He furrowed his brow, not sure what her point was. "Um, not off the top of my head, but I could look and—"

"No," she interrupted, "I mean do you know the kind of person who runs those sites."

"I guess…well, probably kind of like me…" he theorized with a tinge of embarrassment.

"The people who run those webcomics sites are men," she said. "They are horny men who live their sexual fantasies out through the comics."

Tim blushed at the assessment, realizing Kate could easily be describing him.

"Therefore," she continued, "our comics must adhere to their standards. That means big boobs and tiny waist or no go."

"Oh," he commented abashedly. He felt a tiny bit ashamed at how his gender tended to idealize female comic book characters.

"So we grin and bear it, giving them the comics they want," she said. "I mean, she's happy just to have her work out there, and I'm happy that she's happy." Kate's slight frown indicated that, despite what she said, all was not happy in their current situation. Her frustration made Tim want to do something.

"I could maybe help you guys," he said uncertainly.

"Yeah? And how is that?" she asked with an amused smile. Despite the crap that she and Tony sometimes put him through, Kate liked Tim. In fact, it was kind of hard _not_ to like Tim. He was so innocent and naïve, it was like disliking a puppy or something. When he tried to be chivalrous, it always made her grin.

"Well, I have some knowledge of the internet…"

"Yes, I'm aware."

"…and I can put together a website for you and your cousin to post your comics the way you want to," he volunteered. "It won't be as popular as the one you're on right now and you may not get as many readers, but I can do it if you want."

Kate's eyes softened at Tim's offer. "That would be nice, McGee," she told him sincerely. "Let me talk with Julie about it, but I think she'd love to be onboard."

"Really?" Tim had expected a polite 'no' from Kate; he was pleased that he had done something considered right by the woman.

"Really, McGee," Kate assured him with a smile. "And thank you."

Tim blushed. "You're welcome."

They didn't discuss the webcomic for the rest of the night—though that was mostly because Tim left soon after—but both felt that in those few minutes they had grown closer as friends.

* * *

**AN:** This is already finished (seven chapters). As per usual, one chapter per day!


	2. Chapter 2

It was a couple of days after the secret of Kate's comic had come to light before she got back to Tim regarding his offer. She gleefully approached Tim's desk and told him, "Julie said she would love for you to put together a website for us and asked me to tell you that she loves you forever."

Tim was taken aback by the enthusiasm of Kate's message, though he recognized that "love you forever" bit was intentionally hyperbolic on Julie's (or "Peaches'") part. He didn't want to admit how much it pleased him to know the women were entrusting their comic to him.

"She and I were going to meet tomorrow to talk about the next few installments, so if you're not busy, we'd love for you to join us. I'm sure she'll want to discuss the website with you. I personally don't care about the specifics of the site, but she's got some strong opinions."

Tim eagerly agreed to the lunch date—he didn't think it necessary to tell Kate that he had no plans for the weekend other than grocery shopping and that the lunch date would probably save him from spending the weekend in his apartment playing his newest computer game—and they decided to meet at a café in Old Town for one o'clock.

Tony noticed that Tim and Kate had been acting more chummy than usual, but he didn't comment on it. He also didn't comment on the fact that they would talk in hushed tones and would completely stop talking the moment someone neared them. It had piqued his interest, but he kept quiet, figuring he'd find out soon enough.

* * *

Tim tended to be habitually early, and Saturday was no different. He arrived at the small café earlier than need be and staked out a small table, ordering a soda and BLT for the time being. It seemed that Kate and her cousin were equally punctual, as they entered almost five minutes after him.

"Tim," Kate called with a smile. As he stood to greet her, he realized he couldn't remember the last time she had used his first name; probably never. "This is my cousin, Julie."

He looked between the cousins in shock. The women couldn't have been more different. Unlike Kate, who stuck to the more feminine and demure (though sensible and professional) style of clothing, her cousin looked like she had raided Abby's closet. She wore black jeans with rips in the knees along with black Doc Martins. Her top was a black tank top with a picture of Wolverine; there was also a silver chain attached to the left strap that ran down to the buckle of her jeans. Her face was free of any cosmetics, save for bright red lipstick, accentuated by the ruby stud that adorned the right side of her nose. Her short hair was a reddish-purple color and was pushed back by a black plastic headband with red roses drawn on it.

Julie ignored Tim's outstretched hand, opting to engulf him in a hug instead. "I don't know if my cousin Kate told you, but I truly love you!" she squealed. "And please, call me 'Peaches.' Everybody does. Well, except for my family members," she added with a face.

Tim was still dumbfounded as the three of them took their seats. He knew he was staring at Peaches as though she had three heads, and he knew that was rude, but he just couldn't help it. He'd had the same reaction when he'd found out that Darth Vader was Luke's and Leia's father, and, much like that time, he had a singular thought running through his mind: How on earth could _they_ be related?

"I know, right? Hard to believe we're related!" Peaches said as though she'd read his mind. Tim blushed, making the girls giggle. "It's okay; I would think the same thing."

"It's just…I mean, Kate is so…and you…" he stammered, trying to figure out how to express himself without it sounding insulting to either woman.

Kate held up a hand, stopping the stuttering man. "It's fine, McGee. Our family thinks the same thing."

He nodded and gave both of them a grateful smile. "So the website," he began, happy to get off the subject.

"The website!" Peaches exclaimed. "Have I told you I love you forever?"

"Um…you might have mentioned it."

"Because those guys at are nice and all, but God are they restrictive!" she groaned in disgust. "They were a good starting point for Firefly, but I'm ready to take her to the next level and flesh her out a bit more. We've got enough loyal viewers that they'll follow us if we make the move."

He pulled out a pad and pencil, ready to get down to business. "What kind of layout are you looking for?"

Peaches sat back, obviously not having thought much about the specifics of the site, despite her enthusiasm. "Well, I want something that's a bit different. I mean, if I just wanted some dumb ass blog I'd sign up for one."

"Right," Tim agreed. "So do you have a specific background that you want? I can take a picture of Firefly and have it repeat along the back. Maybe we could get a collage together even. Or, of course, it could just be a solid color background."

"Definitely solid background," she said. "I think if we have a background with pictures it'll hurt the readers' eyes when they try to read the comics."

Tim nodded "Good point. I can send you the different color possibilities and you tell me which one you like best. And remember, we can always change it." He marked that much down on his notepad before moving on. "I'm assuming you want a header?"

"Yeah, Kate's working on that," she said as she nodded to her cousin. "She can get it to you when she's finished."

"And what's the name of your website?"

"Isn't Firefly (dot) com okay?"

He shook his head. "That domain name is already taken. However, I checked, and Fireflycomics (dot) com is available."

Peaches closed her eyes and smiled. "Have I mentioned I love you?"

"What about pages?" he asked with a smile. "Do you want one installment per page, or did you want multiple installments on each page?"

"One per page. And could you archive them?"

"By month and year," he assured her. "What about other pages? A history of Firefly? Bio pages for you and Kate?"

"Yes and yes!" The woman's eyes were becoming wider and wider as the conversation went on. "Also, I'm in talks with someone about selling Firefly merchandise so…"

He nodded, already seeing where she was going. "We'll set up a page for merchandise. What about comments? Do you want readers to leave them under each installment, or would you rather an all inclusive guestbook?"

She pursed her lips slightly as she considered her options. Finally, she said, "All inclusive guestbook."

They talked for almost an hour, planning out the impending website. Well, Tim and Peaches talked; Kate sat to the side, watching the conversation with slight interest. By the end of their lunch, they had a somewhat poorly drawn layout, an estimated number of pages, an archive system, and a tentative color scheme.

"I simply cannot tell you how much I appreciate all of this," Peaches gushed as the meeting came to an end.

"I'm happy to do it," Tim assured her. "I'm a big fan of Firefly…and Kate's a friend," he added shyly. He knew they had a working relationship, but he still wasn't sure whether or not they were really friends. He _hoped_ they were.

"You've got good friends, Katie," Peaches said to her cousin.

Kate gave Tim a warm smile and nodded. "Some of them," she agreed.

The ladies left with sweet good-byes and a kiss to each of Tim's cheeks, which resulted in a very red-faced Timothy McGee.


	3. Chapter 3

Tim had worked on the Firefly webpage that weekend, wanting to get it up and running as soon as possible. While he did have knowledge of the inner workings of websites, he wasn't nearly as experienced as he had insinuated. There had been a lot of trial and error work, checking links, searching for the perfect colors, and so on. He hadn't realized how tedious it could be to have to type in a code, check it, and then to go back and change the code by even one character. By the time he walked into work on Monday, he thought he'd put together a good, albeit simple, start.

"Kate!" he called when the agent entered. "Want to see the beginnings of the webpage?"

"Sure," she said as she rounded his desk. She had tried to pretend like she wasn't all that interested in the page for their webcomic, but Kate was actually feeling a bit of giddiness at the thought of her work having its own private webpage.

"Now it's not finished," he warned her, "but this is just a basic start."

The page had a burgundy and black color scheme—it was a bit too Hot Topic for his tastes, but Peaches had wanted something a bit dark—with the links to different areas running along the top. There was a page for past installments, organized by month and year, a section that chronicled the history and development of Firefly, a page which would have the bios for both Peaches and Kate, and a section for impending Firefly merchandise.

"I thought I'd put a picture of Firefly on the home page along with the header you give me. The links can go below the header, but I might be able to figure out a way to insert them into the Firefly picture so that when a reader runs the cursor over the picture, the links names will pop up on different areas of the picture. Oh, and I was going to ask Peaches if maybe she wanted a page with games. I know it sounds kind of silly, but games are usually a big hit. Or maybe you could have a tutorial page on how to draw Firefly."

Tim's comments and suggestions reached Kate's ears, but she wasn't completely paying attention. She was slightly in awe at how much progress Tim had already made. It wasn't the most glamorous website she'd ever seen, but she was impressed nonetheless. She knew she could never have put even this much together without a "How To For Dummies" manual sitting open beside her. "This looks great, McGee," she told him sincerely. "I know I've seemed disinterested in the webpage, but I really appreciate this as much as my cousin does."

He blushed at her expression of gratitude. "Do you think Peaches will like it?"

"She'll love it," Kate affirmed. "It's very her. And once you get the Firefly installments posted and people start visiting, she'll be absolutely ecstatic."

"She's really nice. Different, though."

Kate smiled. "Yeah, but we're more alike than it seems. I mean, we both set out to rebel against our parents, we just did it in slightly different ways."

"I can see how she rebelled, but how did you?"

"By not going to law school. My parents had very high hopes for my career in law, thinking I might one day even become involved in politics. What they didn't think about was the fact that I hate politics," she said with a look of disdain. "I dropped out soon after and chose a different form of law enforcement. This one lets me carry a gun."

It took Tim a moment to realize that Kate was leaning over him, her arms on either side of his body as they looked at the fledgling webpage. It made him feel nervous, but strangely satisfied.

When Tony entered the squad room, he stopped short when he saw Kate leaning over Tim, almost cheek to cheek, as they talked about something. Both were smiling in a way that made him believe they weren't discussing a case or any of the generic topics which usually made up their conversations with each other. "Well, aren't you two comfy," he commented in a strained tone.

Kate shot up at the sound of his voice and nonchalantly leaned against the side of Tim's desk. Tim immediately closed the webpage. He was under the impression that Kate didn't want Tony to know about it, lest he should pick up where he'd left off in the childish teasing.

"Wow, DiNozzo! You're actually here on time."

"You sound disappointed, Kate. Were you and McRomeo there hoping for a little alone time?"

"I was just hoping that I could get a couple cups of coffee in me before having to deal with you, and I'm sure McGee feels similarly."

"Ouch, Kate!" Tony groaned sarcastically. "I think you just use snark to hide the fact that you so desperately want to sleep with me."

"Dream on, DiNozzo! I require boyfriends with an intelligence level above that of a Neanderthal and a maturity level above that of a ten-year-old."

Tony gave Tim—who had been sitting with a quiet smile throughout the entire back-and-forth session—a suspicious look. He could tell that Tim and Kate had suddenly grown closer in the past week, but Tony couldn't figure out what had pushed them closer. He couldn't imagine that Kate was actually interested in Tim that way, but now he was beginning to doubt that.

"So what were you and our little Probie talking about when I came in?" he asked, hoping to wiggle out of the mini-spat and get back to the issue at hand.

Kate, though, was happy to continue teasing. "Oh, Timothy! I think Tony is jealous!"

"It does sound that way, doesn't it?" a smug Tim agreed.

"Don't make me laugh!" Tony sneered. "I was just wondering what level of geekdom he'd slipped to this time. Careful, Kate. I think he's pulling you down a bottomless pit of dorkiness. I mean, we already know you draw comics. Next thing you know, you'll be wearing a cape and running through the forest pretending like you've got magical powers."

The war of words had been harmless, much like a fight between young siblings. All involved knew the insults weren't meant to actually hurt anyone. Kate had heard far worse from Tony; in fact, she had dished worse insults _to_ Tony. But much like she had the previous week, Kate felt an anger bubble inside of her for reasons even she didn't understand.

"Tony, I get that you're so insecure with yourself that you have to make everyone around you feel like crap, but this is just beyond pathetic! You're so jealous of McGee because he is young, intelligent, and attractive, and all the little jailbait girls you hit on are more likely to go home with him at night, so you have to constantly harp on everything he does, tearing down his self-esteem so he won't pose a threat to you when it comes to picking up women. I don't know if I should be annoyed by you or feel sorry for you."

Even Tim was left speechless by Kate's tirade this time. It was true that Tony's teasing sometimes bordered on outright bullying, but Tim had known the older agent long enough to understand that most of it stemmed from Tony's sense of sibling rivalry on the team. He suspected there might be a bit of insecurity in Tony's barbs, but he would never throw that in Tony's face, even if he did sometimes deserve it. Tony was only human and he was there when his teammates really needed him.

"Kate," Tim said softly, gently grabbing the steaming woman's shoulder. "That…I mean that was a bit much, don't you think?"

Tony was hurt—both Tim and Kate could tell that much—but being the stoic, manly man he was, Tony wasn't about to verbally admit that. "I'm sorry, Kate," he said sarcastically after he managed to compose himself. "I didn't realize I was such a horrible person. I guess since I'm such a nuisance, maybe I should just leave NCIS and let you guys do the work you do so very well without me."

He grabbed his stuff, tossing his bag over his shoulder. "I think I'll go talk to Abby right now. Hopefully she hasn't had a daily dose of PMS today."

"Tony…" Kate began as she came off her anger high. She wasn't even sure where to start.

It didn't matter, though, because Tony left without another word.

Kate fell back against Tim's desk, arms crossed. She wished she could take back what had been said, but she knew that wasn't possible. She would have to wait for Tony to calm down and then try to apologize.

"Where did that come from?" Tim asked. "I mean, I'm grateful for you sticking up for me, but that…I just haven't heard you say anything like that before, even when Tony was at his most annoying."

"I screwed up," she admitted. "I just can't help but think about Peaches when I hear Tony go on like that. She was truly tormented in high school and I hated it. I hated that I couldn't help her."

"You know he didn't mean it. Well, he wasn't trying to be malicious, at least."

She nodded. "I know. Now he hates me."

"I don't think he hates you."

"He hates me."

When Gibbs entered, Tim told him that Tony had gone down to Abby's lab. No questions were asked and the three of them worked in silence as a thick tension loomed above them.


	4. Chapter 4

"She's insane!" Tony ranted as he paced back and forth in Abby's lab. "It was all fun teasing at first, and then she just went crazy!"

"You can dish it but you can't take it, huh?" Abby asked. She had spent the last few minutes listening to Tony recount his and Kate's recent confrontation. While she sympathized with Tony's feelings and felt Kate had said some things that were simply mean, one couldn't completely absolve Tony of any blame.

"And what is that supposed to mean?"

"Tony, you know I love you," she said gently. "I love _everyone_. Well, I don't love bad people, but I love everyone here…though that Steve guy in the mail room gives me the creeps at times, so I don't know if I'd say I love him…but—"

"Abbs!"

"Sorry," she said sheepishly. "My point is that while I love you, there are times when you can be a bit…well…_mean_."

"I am not mean!" he scoffed. "Some people just can't appreciate my humor!"

Abby fixed him with a look. "Tony, be honest with yourself."

"Fine," he said with a resigned sigh. "I'm sometimes…overly harsh. But I don't really mean anything by it!"

"And Kate didn't really mean anything by this. People say things they don't mean sometimes."

Tony pouted, though he knew Abby had a point. He often pushed the limit on taste and certainly pushed the patience of his teammates. "Yeah, I know she didn't mean it. Me jealous of McGee? Come on!"

"I know, it's so far fetched," Abby said sarcastically. "So what started this entire thing anyway?"

"Kate and McGee looked…cozy when I got in this morning."

"Cozy?"

"She was leaning over him and they were laughing about something."

Abby rolled her eyes at his observation. "Wow! Laughing? I hope he was wearing a condom!"

"Scoff all you want, Abbs, but there's something going on with them. At first I thought it was just them bonding over comics or something, but now I get the feeling they've got something more going on. Last week, I walked in and they were talking in hushed tones about something. They stopped talking when they saw me, but I could have sworn I heard something about having lunch together this past weekend."

That much made Abby pause. She couldn't imagine Tim and Kate meeting for lunch outside of work. Of course, this was only what Tony _thought_ he'd heard, and he wasn't the most reliable person when it came to these things. "Even if they did, Tony, that doesn't mean anything. Friends can have lunch together without romantic ties involved."

Tony looked dubious. "I don't know, Abby. I get the idea that something's going on between them."

"So what if there is?" she asked as she suppressed her own slight envy. She wasn't going to allow herself to be jealous of Kate, even if she and Tim _were_ having some sort of romance.

"Rule Number 12," he recited. "Never date a co-worker."

"Oh, like that would ever stop _you_! You know that if some cute girl with huge boobs joined up, you'd be on her like white on rice."

"Okay, point taken," he grumbled.

"Now you'd better get back up there to work before Gibbs comes looking."

Tony heeded her advice and begrudgingly returned to the squad room. It was quiet and somber, which was almost unheard of when they weren't actually working a case. Kate and Tim looked up as Tony re-entered. Tim looked to Kate, who ducked her head down guiltily. Tony noticed, feeling a twinge of satisfaction in knowing Kate felt awkward about their previous confrontation. But he wasn't going to be the one to break the silence. He'd let Kate do the apologizing.

Gibbs' phone rang, pulling everyone's attention away from thoughts of what had happened earlier. "Tony, we've got some guy who says he has information on the Hartman case," he said after hanging up the phone. "You and McGee go interview him."

Tony glanced at the young agent. "Maybe Kate and McGee should go, boss."

"And why's that, DiNozzo?"

"Just seems like they're more buddy-buddy and I'd just get on his nerves." He knew he sounded petulant saying it, but he didn't really care.

"Right now you're getting on _my_ nerves!" Gibbs growled. "Now get your ass in gear!"

* * *

They had pulled onto the road in complete silence, a silence which continued for the entire trip there and a good portion of the way back. Tony had flipped on the radio to a talk station in an effort to avoid any conversation and Tim took the hint. Tony knew that Tim hadn't done anything wrong—it had, after all, been Kate who had gone off on the rant—but the probationary agent was the one with him right now, so Tony was going to take out any frustration on him. Besides, he still was convinced that this all stemmed from Tim and Kate's sudden blossoming relationship, whatever sort of relationship _that_ was.

Tim tried to tough it out for the entire car ride, looking out the window as he let his mind wander. Unfortunately, his mind kept wandering back to the issue at hand. He finally snapped the radio off. "I'm sorry about this morning, Tony."

"Sorry? For what? Not your fault Kate can't take a joke."

"It's not that," Tim insisted. "She…she reacted in the wrong way, but it wasn't really because of you. It's just that…" He paused, unsure how into detail he should go. If he mentioned Peaches, it would bring a slew of questions as to how Tim knew Peaches and _why_ he knew her. "Someone very close to Kate went through cruel teasing in high school for the things you were teasing _her _about."

Tony felt his grip on the steering wheel tighten. Someone close to Kate who was teased in high school for being a geek? How many geeks did Kate know? "And you know this how?"

"Because she told me."

He snorted. "Yeah, seems you two have been talking a lot lately, Probie."

"So? We're teammates."

"You're still a _probationary agent_," Tony said, over-enunciating the words as if a reminder to Tim that he was at the bottom of the team totem pole. He was angry and nothing made an angry person feel better than making someone else angry.

Tim frowned. "That doesn't mean I'm not on the team." He knew Tony was still sore, but he didn't appreciate the older agent taking it out on him.

"No, it just means you're on a different level than the rest of us."

"And what does that mean?" Tim asked, face reddening.

Tony grinned, recognizing that he had Tim right where he wanted. It was time to go in for the kill. "Face it, McBottomFeeder, she's out of your league."

"Out of my league? What is this, high school?" He could feel his patience waning.

"I'm just saying, buddy—"

"No!" Tim snapped. "I am not your 'buddy!' And you have no right to tell me anything!"

"Hey! Don't get pissy at me for explaining to you the way things work! The cold facts are that Kate is never going to want you! You're the sweet friend who gets a hug or, if you're lucky, a kiss on the cheek! You don't get to sleep with her! That's the way it is, so you can stop with this pitiful lovesick dog thing you've got going on."

Tim had no idea what Tony was talking about, seeing as he wasn't trying to sleep with Kate (though he wasn't going to deny that he'd had a fantasy or two regarding the notion), but it didn't matter. The very idea that Tony would tell Tim he wasn't just as good as any other guy—that he wasn't just as good as the other members on their team!—infuriated him. He'd had enough.

"You know, I can't believe you! _I_ try to apologize for something that wasn't even my fault and you just can't let me do it! You have to just pelt me with mindless insults! After this morning, I thought maybe you would take a moment to look at yourself and think before you make comments! Obviously, I gave you far too much credit!"

Tony didn't respond to Tim's anger, spurring Tim to continue his rant. "I take it back. I'm _not_ sorry. Everything Kate said was true."

Neither spoke as they pulled into the Navy Yard. Both slammed their doors as forcefully as possible when they got out of the car.

The mood had gone from awkward and tense to angry and downright strained.


	5. Chapter 5

Tim didn't completely explain to Kate what Tony had said to anger him so much. After all, said explanation would require him to tell her about the idea of him sleeping with her, and that wasn't something he was comfortable discussing, even now that their relationship had grown closer. He simply told her that he was sick of Tony speaking down to him and had said so, albeit in a much angrier way. Kate couldn't blame him.

There was now an obvious dichotomy between the team with Kate and Tim on one side, Tony on the other side, and Gibbs a neutral party, mainly because he had no idea about the arguing. He recognized how tense the team had become and recognized that Tim and Kate's relationship seemed to have grown closer while both Tim's and Kate's relationship with Tony had grown distant. However, the team was civil and hardworking when doing their job, so he had no reason to reprimand any of them. He sat on the sidelines, letting the trio work out whatever had put a strain on them.

As tensions mounted, Tim focused much of his energy into completing the Firefly webpage. It was coming along much better than any of the three could have imagined, including Tim himself. Peaches had uploaded the newest installments on the comic and planned to work her way backwards until the every installment since the comic's inception was posted. Kate had provided a beautiful header for the front page and had also put together a tutorial on how to draw Firefly, per Tim's earlier suggestion. The younger agent was still learning about creating websites as he went along, but he didn't think even a professional page master could have done _that_ much better than he had.

It was almost two weeks following the big blow-up and the bull pen was empty, save for Tim. He was taking advantage of the rare lull, using his time to tweak a few more things on the webpage. Kate entered and, seeing that neither Tony nor Gibbs was anywhere in sight, approached Tim with a huge grin. "So, Peaches and I were talking about the website," she told him.

"Is there something wrong?" he asked worriedly.

Kate placed a gentle hand on his shoulder. "McGee, relax," she commanded. "We love it! And Peaches thought that, since you've worked so hard on this for free, she and I should do something in return. How does dinner at La Bella sound? Our treat!"

"I really appreciate the offer, Kate, but it's not necessary."

"McGee, there's no need to be modest. You've done a lot for us, and we don't like the idea of not repaying you." Tim opened his mouth to respond, but Kate held up a hand to stop him. "Trust me when I tell you that you don't want to argue with us. We are both very stubborn women and we will get our way, no matter what you say."

Tim pouted at the thought of two women buying him dinner. He'd had an old-fashioned upbringing, and that meant the man paid for the woman. Tim knew, though, that Kate wasn't exaggerating when she said she was stubborn and would get her way; though he'd only met Peaches once, Tim had a feeling she would be the exact same way as her cousin. It was far easier to give in and swallow his pride than try to argue the point. "Fine," he agreed.

Kate grinned in satisfaction. "How does 7:00 pm this Saturday sound?"

"That's perfect."

* * *

Tony had run down to see Abby as soon has he'd gotten in. He had done that almost every morning since the blow-up. He knew that Tim and Kate were apt to arrive earlier for work, and he knew that Gibbs usually didn't get in until about twenty or thirty minutes later than everyone else. Tony didn't like the idea of sitting around the bull pen with Kate and Tim if he didn't need to, so he'd made it a habit to bypass the bull pen altogether until he knew Gibbs had gotten in. Abby shook her head in frustration every morning when Tony showed up down there, but she didn't turn him away.

"You guys need to grow up and just move on already!" she proclaimed as Tony sat glumly nearby.

"Hey, don't blame me!" he said indignantly. "I'm the victim here! It's them against me!"

Abby rolled her eyes. "Oh, Tony! Stop with the innocent act. You know you're as much to blame as they are."

He didn't argue the point, mostly because he knew she was right, though he was reluctant to admit it. While Kate had been the first one to sling mud, Tony hadn't helped matters in his attack on Tim. He knew he had only done it because he was angry and wanted to take that anger out on someone, but that wasn't much of an excuse.

"Now, I think you should go upstairs and apologize. Then everything will be better." She firmly took his arm and led him to the door of her lab, giving him a push to the elevator.

He did as he was told. Tony didn't like being at odds with his own teammates, especially when he considered them friends. Even if it meant being the first to offer an apology, Tony just wanted this to be over with.

"So we'll meet at La Bella Saturday at 7:00 pm?"

Tim's statement made Tony stop in his tracks. Who could Tim possibly plan to meet with at La Bella on a Saturday night? He pressed himself against the wall and peeked out at the bull pen. Tim was seated at his desk while a very pleased Kate leaned over. Kate?

"It's a date," she told him, making Tony double-over.

Tim and Kate? Sure, Tony had toyed with the idea, but he had ultimately decided the entire thing was preposterous, even going so far as to tell Tim it would never happen. Tony couldn't deny what he'd just heard, though. La Bella wasn't the sort of restaurant you go to on a friendly outing; it was a high class restaurant, one to which Tony himself had brought many girls.

He took a minute to gather himself and to make it seem as though he couldn't have possibly overheard them. Then, Tony strode out into the squad room, noting that both Tim and Kate looked at him before glancing at each other abashedly.

"Good morning," he said nonchalantly. He gauged their responses to his greeting.

"Morning," Kate told him curtly. Tim just nodded mutely.

Tony wasn't looking forward to apologizing, but he didn't want Abby to get angry at him. Not to mention, he was getting tired of avoiding the bull pen so much. "McGee, I'm sorry," he said sincerely. "I said things that I didn't mean and I shouldn't have. So I'm sorry."

Tim offered a slight smile, not accustomed to hearing Tony actually apologize. He looked to Kate, who was similarly pleased. "Apology accepted," he said with a nod.

"To be fair," Kate interjected, "you wouldn't have been so angry if I hadn't said the things I said. I'm sorry too, Tony."

"Apology accepted," Tony echoed.

It was the end of the feud, but it wasn't the end of Tony's snooping. He already knew where he would be that Saturday night. Something was going on between Tim and Kate and he intended to get to the bottom of it.


	6. Chapter 6

La Bella was an upscale Italian restaurant in the D.C. area. The original owners had emigrated from Italy after their marriage and their germinating business had grown from a small eatery to a respected restaurant. Now, it was owned by the grandson of the original owners and was known for having authentic Italian cuisine and an extensive wine cellar. There was even a string quartet to create a musical ambience.

Tim, fresh off the bus, approached the restaurant's door, but he didn't immediately enter. First, he took a moment to check his appearance in the reflection of the front window. He didn't know why he was so anxious to look good. This wasn't a date; it was a thank you dinner from two women whom he had helped. What did it matter how he looked?

Kate had told him that the reservation was under her name. The hostess led him through the restaurant to a table near the back. Kate was already there, dressed beautifully in a simple black dress. She smiled as he approached. Tim's cheeks flushed.

"Peaches got stuck at work," she explained as Tim took his seat. "One of the other workers called in sick and she's gunning for a manager position, so she took the extra hours. She'll try and get here as soon as possible."

"Oh, okay." It didn't take long for Tim to recognize that he and Kate were having dinner alone together, and in a fancy restaurant, no less! Just think if Tony could see him now! "You look wonderful," he said as he handed over one of the roses he'd picked up for Kate and Peaches.

She took the rose and the compliment with a shy smile, a side of her that Tim had rarely seen. "Thank you, Tim. It's beautiful."

There was an awkward pause as they each mulled over the situation. The only time they had seen each other outside of work had been the lunch meeting with Peaches, and that had been much like a business meeting; this was more like a date. The absence of Peaches not only made the dinner seem like a private date, but it also eliminated their main topic of discussion. The only reason they were there in the first place was because of Peaches and Firefly; without her there, what would they talk about?

"So I've never been here," he said as in ice breaker. "Any suggestions?"

"I've only been here once and that was for one of the worst dates I've ever been on, so I've blocked most of it out. All I remember is that the Zinfandel was fantastic…and I probably downed a bottle and a half of it on my own."

"So if you order multiple glasses of the Zinfandel, I guess I should take that as a bad sign," he joked.

His bit of humor surprised Kate, though not in a negative way. She was accustomed to the young agent being quiet and analytical, the majority of what he said having to do with computers and technology. She found it refreshing to see the lighter side of his personality; it reminded her that Tim was more than a brain.

"I'm happy you could make it," she told him honestly. "I'm happy that I've gotten to know you better these past couple of weeks. I guess we tend to pigeonhole people into stereotypes, but it's satisfying when you realize there's more to a person than what you thought."

He ducked his head with a small shrug. "There's not much more to me. I'm a geek," he said simply. "I've just stopped worrying about it so much."

"You're more than a geek, McGee. No one is just one thing. You're also a nice guy and you're a good investigator."

"I'm a geek," he repeated, this time much more adamantly. "I'm not saying it's a bad thing, but it's the truth."

She shrugged. "Everyone has a bit of geek in them."

"Kate, I appreciate your comments, but you don't have a geeky bone in your body."

She smiled slyly. "Would your opinion change if I told you that tucked away in a box under my bed is a collection of comic books, ranging from Wonder Woman to The Avengers, with even a few Archie comics?"

Tim raised his eyebrows, trying to discern whether or not Kate was on the level. "I thought you said you outgrew comics years ago."

"I only said that because I was embarrassed," she admitted. "I don't like to admit my love of comics."

"Of everyone we work with, I think I'm the last person who would make fun of you for reading comic books."

"I know," she said, cheeks tinged pink. "It's not that I was afraid of you making fun of me…I just don't like to divulge that sort of information to people. Can you imagine me telling Tony something like that?"

Tim couldn't just imagine telling Tony about a love of comics; he could completely relate to it. "I see your point. And don't worry, I won't tell him about any of this if you don't want me to."

In a tender moment of appreciation, Kate laid her own hand over Tim's. "Thank you, Tim, but I don't really care anymore."

* * *

Tony had arrived early and set himself up at the restaurant's bar. The back panel of it was mirrored, giving him a full view of the entrance. He could watch the door and wait until both Kate and Tim were there and avoid being seen by either of them.

Kate came first and was dressed to the nines. Tony noted her dressy ensemble, but also wondered why she and Tim hadn't come in one car. Perhaps neither wanted to run the risk of being seen at the other's apartment. Tim arrived only minutes later and Tony saw the young agent check his reflection before he entered. In his hand, Tim held two delicate roses.

Tony counted to twenty before sliding off the stool and walking in the direction of where both Kate and Tim had been led. He caught sight of them seated at a small table, tucked in the corner, nearly out of eyeshot. It seemed they were going to great lengths not to be seen, something which further aroused Tony's suspicions.

He didn't immediately approach the table, opting to watch from afar. Their body language was very comfortable and open. They were acting like close friends who had known each other for years rather than two co-workers who had barely even known each other for one year. After seeing her give Tim a sly little smile, Tony couldn't bear to stand in the back and just watch; he wanted to get closer to the action.

"Can you imagine me telling Tony something like that?" he heard her say to Tim as he crept toward their table. There was a small partition which cut their table off from the majority of the restaurant and an empty booth was situated against the partition. Tony slid into the seat and leaned slightly out so as to better hear the conversation.

"I see your point. And don't worry, I won't tell him about any of this if you don't want me to."

Tony frowned when he heard Tim say that. He knew he had given the young agent flak about his interest in Kate, but he felt a twinge of pity nonetheless. Kate was obviously embarrassed about being involved with Tim; the poor kid was so happy to even have her attention that he had no problem going along with it.

"Thank you, Tim, but I don't really care anymore."

He raised his eyebrows. Were Kate and Tim going to come clean to Gibbs about their blossoming relationship? What would this mean for the team? Gibbs wouldn't like the idea of two teammates being romantically involved. Tony didn't like the idea of the team losing either of them (though he would never verbally admit that).

"You can't do this!" he yelped, jumping from his spot. He hadn't meant to do it; something had just compelled him to stop his two colleagues from making a mistake that could get them kicked from the team.

Tim and Kate looked at Tony in shock. Her hand was still resting over Tim's and Tony noticed her grip tighten when she saw him.

"Tony!" she hissed. "What the hell are you doing here?"

"I'm stopping you and McGee from doing something stupid!"

"What are you talking about?" Tim asked. "We're just having dinner."

"Oh, it starts with dinner, Probie. Then the question comes up: her place or mine? Suddenly, you're doing the nasty between the sheets and Gibbs is glaring at you for breaking Rule Number 12!"

"Why would Gibbs be in either of our apartments while we were having sex?"

"Stay focused, McGee!"

"Sorry I'm late! I had this one customer who had me running…"

Peaches stopped in her tracks, her apology dying on her lips as she observed the scene before her. Kate was glaring angrily at a man who was standing in front of the table while Tim looked back and forth between the two in confusion. "Did I miss something?" she asked.

Tony looked at the woman who had joined the table and his mouth fell agape. "Two?!?" he squeaked out. "You're on a date with two women, McGee?" He couldn't deny he was impressed.

Kate, seeing that people were beginning to stare, grabbed Tony roughly by the arm and pushed him into a chair. "Sit down!" she ordered. "Now tell me why you were spying on us!"

"Because, Kate, I was afraid Gibbs would find out about you and McGee, and one or both of you might get fired."

"Why would we get fired for collaborating on a website?" Tim asked with a puzzled frown. "Gibbs doesn't have a rule about that…does he?"

"Website?" Tony repeated.

"Yes, Tony," Kate replied curtly. "McGee generously offered to make a website for Firefly so that Peaches and I could have more creative freedom with the comic."

"Peaches?"

"My cousin," she explained, gesturing to the woman.

Tony studied Peaches skeptically. "You two…you're cousins?"

"Yes, we are. Peaches writes the stories and I illustrate them."

"Oh," he said. "So…you and McGee aren't…you know…together?"

"Me and McGee?" Kate asked incredulously. "No! Why would you think that?"

"Well, you guys were being so secretive and I heard you making plans for lunch and dinner, so I just assumed…"

"You eavesdropped on us?"

"Don't make it sound like such a big deal," he said with a roll of his eyes. "Maybe if you guys hadn't acted so sneaky, I wouldn't have had to resort to such methods."

"It was none of your business, Tony!"

"So is that why you went on about Kate never sleeping with me?" Tim asked, recalling the heated conversation he and Tony had gotten into two weeks prior.

Tony all but avoided the question. "Ha!" he laughed as he tried to play the entire thing off. "I knew there was no way you two were together! Probie could never land a hot chick like you, Kate."

"He's got a better chance than you do, DiNozzo, especially if you refer to me as a 'chick' again."

"Wow!" Peaches interjected, watching the action with rapt attention. "This is better than cable! Is it always this entertaining at NCIS, or are you guys just special?"

"They're always like this," Tim told her.

"What's this 'they' stuff, McGoof? You can be just as bad as me and Kate."

Kate snorted "No one's as bad as you, Tony."

In a matter of moments, the tension from the past couple of weeks had dissolved and the dynamic was back to what it always had been. Past insults were forgotten, mistakes were corrected, and things were back to normal. Well, as normal as they ever _could_ be.

* * *

**AN:** One chapter left! Thank you to everyone wh has read this!


	7. Chapter 7

"Thanks for dinner," Tim said for about the fifteenth time that night as he and Kate slowly meandered down the hallway of his apartment building. "It…it was fun."

"I agree," Kate replied with a smile.

"You didn't need to give me a ride home."

"McGee, there was no point in you hopping on a bus at this hour."

"You didn't need to walk me to my door either."

She shrugged. "I figured as long as we were flipping the archaic roles of men and women, we may as well go all out."

They paused before his door, Tim with his cheeks red and Kate taking a slight joy in his discomfort. "Uh…do you want to come in for a drink or something?"

"Are you propositioning me?" she asked in a teasing tone.

The tone was lost on him. "No!" he said earnestly, eyes wide in embarrassment. "No! I just thought…um…you know…"

Kate placed her hand over his mouth to cease his stuttering. "I was joking, McGee."

Tim sighed a breath of relief. "Sorry…I sometimes…well, you know."

"I know, McGee."

He nodded as he rocked back and forth on his heels. "So…was that a yes?"

"It's late," she told him. "But thank you for the invitation."

"Yeah…that's fine. Just thought I'd ask."

"Maybe another time."

"You mean that?" Tim asked, hoping he wasn't coming across as too eager.

"Sure. I mean, we're friends, right?"

He offered a small smile. "Right."

It was an awkward moment for them both; Tim stood with his back to the door and Kate stood before him, looking at him as though waiting to see what his next move was. He didn't make one.

"McGee…all the things Tony said about you and me…"

This time, it was Tim who held up a hand to stop Kate mid-sentence. "It's fine, Kate. I don't expect you to want to sleep with me. I mean, we're pretty different."

"In some ways we're very much the same."

He looked down shyly, nodding. "Yeah, I guess…but I was never trying to get you in bed or anything. I mean, I know that wouldn't happen."

After a beat, Kate pushed herself up to the balls of her feet and, in a move which surprised them both, she pressed her lips against his. It wasn't a deep, passionate kiss with tongues swirling together, but it also wasn't a platonic peck that barely gave them time to appreciate it. The kiss lasted all of seven seconds, but when Kate pulled away from Tim, the young agent looked slightly star struck.

"Give yourself some credit, Tim," she told him. "Just because Tony says something doesn't make it so."

Tim remained speechless.

"Good night, McGee."

She left Tim slouched against the closed door. After she had rounded the corner, he tentatively reached up and touched his lips. Never in a million years had Tim imagined that Kate would kiss him the way she just had; he had also never imagined that the chain of events could have occurred because of his love of comics.

That night, as he removed one of his stealthily hidden Spider Man comics to read before falling asleep, Tim couldn't help looking back on the hobby he had kept for the past twenty-two years with a smug grin of satisfaction.

* * *

**AN:** And thus, we come to an end! Thank you to all of my readers!


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